outbreak of the virus in washington state has raised concerns nationwide. and the extra precautions now required and taken at care facilities. lester holt will have that next on "nightly news." we'll be back at 6:00. see you then. breaking news. after days in limbo, a cruise ship with at least 21 coronavirus patients finally docks. with more than 3,500 on board, the "grand princess" arrives at a california port with all on board facing federal quarantine this as fears of the coronavirus spread more schools and universities suspend classes. big events cancelled across the country from parades to sporting events. will march madness take place without fans while in italy, a lockdown now placed on the entire country plus, another huge plunge on wall street. the biggest point loss ever for the dow as concern rises in congress after a senator and four house

members go into self-quarantine after being in touch with an infected person, two of them in close proximity to the president. also tonight, how to protect your family, the extra precaution for people in nursing homes. >> i can no longer sit around and wait for a phone call to tell me my loved one has died. >> how long does it take for symptoms to appear the sign to watch out for. in the 2020 race, the next showdown, michigan a must-wi for sanders tomorrow. and our one on one with biden. they lost their homes, but not their spirit the thrilling double overtime victory that's inspiring america. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt good evening, everyone that cruise ship without a port, a symbol of coronavirus anxiety, has finally reached shore today. but for its passengers and crew, some infected with the virus, the ordeal is just beginning the ship's arrival coming on a day wall street suffered its worst day in 12 years. the dow losing over 2,000 points with a spike in

coronavirus cases expected, americans tonight facing massive change, from virtual classrooms and working from home to growing shortages and, for some, indefinite isolation. our team has coverage starting with miguel almaguer. >> reporter: arriving under the golden gate bridge, tonight the 3,500 people aboard the "grand princess" cruise ship are in port but weeks away from being home. with the sick disembarking first, all passengers will slowly file through medical screening. >> whenever you open your door, please make sure you're wearing your mask. >> reporter: after their doomed voyage to hawaii turned into a coronavirus outbreak of at least 21 cases, passengers will soon head to quarantine at military bases. >> it's kind of nerve wracking and unsettling but, you know, we just, we're stuck in the unknown and we're at the mercy of the government. >> reporter: as scenes like this one play out at sea, the state department issuing a clear warning.

u.s. citizens, particularly travelers with underlying health conditions, should not travel by cruise ship. kerry sanders is in florida. >> reporter: they called this the cruise ship capital today six ships leaving the port of miami. some passengers say while they are anxious, they are not going to let coronavirus ruin their vacation plans. >> reporter: while the number of sick is soaring, doctors expect a spike in coronavirus cases as more people get tested outside seattle where at least 22 have died, a drive-through clinic at a local hospital testing dozens per day. >> they stay in their car and roll down the window and we swab them. >> reporter: amid a massive run on supplies, universities across the country including princeton and stanford are telling students to stay home. temporarily. >> the prompt response is the right thing to do. >> reporter: worried that fear is spreading faster than the virus, the cdc says the risk is different in every

community. americans should not panic. 80% of cases won't require any medical care but those most vulnerable, the elderly with underlying health conditions should stock up on food, medication, supplies and be prepared to stay at home in new york city, the mayor is now encouraging businesses to let employees telecommute, hoping to reduce crowds on the subway tonight, a growing effort to contain the virus and manage fear, just as another cruise ship loaded with those who are sick reaches shore. >> miguel joins us now. we see the ship behind you. how long before these folks can get off the ship >> reporter: lester, because there are so many passengers aboard, we're told it could take up to three days for all of them to disembark many of them will go to nearby travis air force base for their 14-day quarantine the mayor in boston says they are now

cancelling that city's st. patrick's day parade. >> that's a big call thank you, miguel. now to the growing economic impact of this and another huge plunge on wall street today. the dow losing more than 2,000 points, almost 8% of its value. here is senior business correspondent stephanie ruhle. [ bell ringing ] >> reporter: stocks today plummeting triggering a market circuit breaker just four minutes after opening bell. >> there you see the cessation. >> reporter: trading began again 15 minutes later, but the markets still closed near bear territory. the collapse fueled by the oil price war and uncertainty over coronavirus. hitting some industries harder than others air travelers sharing pictures of airports and planes virtually empty. many carriers already slashing routes. cruise liners are also dealing with cancelled plans and ships far below capacity many companies already taking action. trying to balance stemming the spread of

coronavirus and keeping business afloat amazon will pay hourly workers, even those working from home, and is asking employees in several states, to work remotely through march and there is speculation who tourist hot spot disneyworld will remain open after the company closed certain parks in asia until further notice small businesses are also struggling. >> this is prime lunchtime. >> reporter: sam says there is a 50% drop in foot traffic at his family's chinese restaurant. >> if this continues, i'm not even sure how long i can survive like this. >> we need to think about helping hard-working individuals that want to go to work. some of them are showing up to work and cannot get paid because there is no customers coming in. >> reporter: as for the millions of americans who don't have the option of working remotely, like service industry employees and gig economy workers. >> i am very scared today, especially today. >> reporter: the idea of not being able to bring home a paycheck can be daunting. >> stephanie joins me

now. we've been seeing a lot of roller coaster days but that was a big, big drop today. should we be concerned? >> lester, concern is fair but it's not a time to panic. we're not facing a financial crisis today. what we're facing is a public health emergency and the underlying economy is strong with patience we'll see that strength again. i said treat your 401(k) like you're trying to treat your face do not touch it. >> that's easier said than done. your point is taken. >> at least not yet. >> thank you. there is growing concern in washington after a senator and four house members were in contact with a man infected with the coronavirus after that two of the congressman came within close proximity to president trump. our jeff bennett is at the white house. >> reporter: as financial markets tumble and the number of u.s. cases of coronavirus climbs, president trump tonight continuing to downplay the outbreak as the coronavirus crisis hits close to home on capitol hill at least four republican lawmakers, ted cruz, matt gates,

doug collins choosing to self-quarantine after unknowingly interacting with an infected person at the conservative political action conference last month. collins seen shaking hands with president trump on friday. gaetz seen traveling with the president today. the outbreak sparking anxiety among lawmakers. nbc's kasie hunt >> reporter: members of congress are increasingly anxious about coronavirus and there is growing pressure on leaders to take steps to protect lawmakers. but house speaker nancy pelosi says tonigh there are no plans to change the schedule or close the capitol. >> reporter: white house lawmakers say president trump's persistent ways to minimize the threat posed by the outbreak. multiple sources tell nbc news the president's messag at odds with trump administration health officials. >> we're helping communities understand you're going to see more cases unfortunately, you're going to see more

deaths. >> i don't think we've seen the worst yet i think we'll still continue to see more infections. >> reporter: one source tells nbc news the president thinks hi approach is good politics, even though he's been advised to let the experts do the talking. the economy has been hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak lester >> geoff bennett at the white house, thank you. a growing number of schools and colleges around the country are taking no chances with the coronavirus, canceling claises for days or weeks in some cases. we get more from rehema ellis >> everybody on their commuter right now >> reporter: terry's three sons are home today. for the next two weeks, they will be learning online. >> ramping up, learning technology, figuring out what each teacher is expecting. >> reporter: their school outside of seattle is closed, one of many districts

in states across the country that sent students home. in scarsdale, a suburb of new york city children will be out until the middle of next week until a teacher tested positive for the virus. >> thinking of the logistics. >> reporter: it could be crippling 22 million students rely on free or reduced-price school lunches. for many, it's their only hot meal of the day. while health and safety are the priority, it's unclear how much keeping students home will slow the spread of the virus. >> you can imagine families where parents don't have paid leave who are working at relatively low-paid jobs and have to stay home to take care of their kids and lose their basic source of support. >> reporter: several colleges cancelling classes and study abroad programs. >> i think everybody is just on edge trying to figure out what is happening. >> reporter: after someone at colombia university was exposed to the virus, that school canceled

in-person classes, announcing it would transition t online learning by the end of the week. >> do you think the college did it right thing by suspended classes for these two days >> yeah, i definitely think it was a good idea, especially just to limit the spread within our classes >> reporter: the new reality of learning while staying safe rehema ellis, nbc news, new york. and as the virus spreads, major event organizers and cities face the difficult choice of whether to cancel big public events or go on as planned. some already making the choice to pull the plug here is tom costello. >> reporter: the biggest high-profile sporting event to fall victim to the virus so far, the bmp tennis open in california cancelled after city officials declared a public emergency johns hopkins university banning spectators from three ncaa division iii games. those so far the ncaa says march madness will go on with spectators on sunday, a packed arena for the celtics thunder game as all 30 nba teams develop coronavirus plans.

already lots of hand sanitizer, elbow and fist bumps replacing handshakes. >> nba games are a lot of sweat and collisions and a lot of yelling, a lot of spi that comes out of your mouth in an nba game but there is only so much you can do. >> reporter: so far, the teams insist they won't play without fans. >> if i show up to an arena with no fans, i ain't playing. >> reporter: the owner of the houston rockets agrees. >> i would hope we would just suspend for a week or two weeks or whatever, but you don't want to play games with no fans that's never going to work. >> reporter: meanwhile, some federal trials in washington state have been postponed dozens of conferences cancelled, costing local communities millions chicago says it will lose 100,000 visitors this month alone from cancelled events san francisco banning groups of 50 or more from using city facilities as seattle, san francisco and now boston cancel st. patty's day parades. health experts urge pregnant women, the elderly and anyone who is sick to avoid large public gathering and

practice social distancing, at least six feet, especially from anybody who is sick wash your hands and had use hand sanitizer. lester >> tom, thanks. we'll be right back in 60 seconds with an unprecedented lockdown for the entire country of italy as coronavirus virus spreads. protecting your family, the main symptom of the virus toe watch out for.

all right. we're back tonight the world health organization says more than 100 countries have confirmed cases of coronavirus and now italy is takin stunning and unprecedented steps to stop the spread. richard engel has more. >> reporter: the italian government tonight put the entire country on lockdown, all italy now, zona rosa, a red zone before the restrictions only applied to northern and central italy but tonight, the country that invented the term quarantine told its 60 million people they should stay at home.

american ali aslin is on a u.s. military base in northern italy. >> so we're doing the best we can and the commanders are doing the best they can to keep people calm and give them the information they deserve to know. >> reporter: there are those furious at being confined six died in prison riots in italy inmates worried they are locked in with a killer they can't see. italy's sweeping restrictions came just hours after the world health organization came within a hair's breath of calling this a global pandemic. >> now that the virus has a foothold in so many countries, the threat of a pandemic has become very real. >> reporter: in israel, the government announcing all citizens returning from abroad will be put in quarantine. but in china where the virus originated, some encouraging news 11 of the 14 emergency hospitals crash-built for the virus are closing according to state tv and the number of new cases, says the

government, is declining but the genie is already out of the bottle. several say we have no idea how many coronavirus infections there are because few countries have done widespread testing but they expect the u.s. will increasingly become a hot spot. lester >> richard engel, thank you. millions of americans living in nursing homes and long-term care facilities after the devastating effect on the coronavirus at one in washington state, many families worry whether they are prepared for more outbreaks. nbc's jo ling kent has that story >> reporter: tonight nursing homes across the country scrambling to increase safety protocol as health care experts warn that the elderly face the highest risk. >> i can no longer sit around and wait for a phone call to tell me my loved one died. >> reporter: families in washington state still waiting for answers about their loved ones a life care center, the epicenter of the u.s. outbreak 13 residents there have died from coronavirus. >> we cannot make any promises that exposure, further

exposure within the facility is not happening. >> reporter: 1 million residents in long-term care facilities contract serious infections every year. of those patients, 380,000 die and that's before coronavirus are nursing homes ready for coronavirus? >> i think most are, but some are not >> reporter: this doctor is beefing up procedures to keep it out of his nursing facility in los angeles, including this tent where staff took our temperature and asked a series of questions before entering. >> i'm quite concerned that nursing homes will be over-stressed by this challenge. >> reporter: his advice, concerned families with a loved one in nursing care should always ask a series of critical questions. >> did they order hand hygiene? do that have personal protective equipment what education are they providing to their staff? >> reporter: doctors also advise the best way to make sure your loved one is being

taken care of is go visit and ask questions. if you're not feeling well, just stay home lester? >> thank you dr. john torres is here with more information about the virus. what are they saying you now about the length fro exposure to showing symptoms of the disease? >> lester, not everyone exposed will get covid-19 but for those who are infected half will develop symptoms in about five days and by 12 days, just about everyone infected will have symptoms that's why anyone under quarantine needs to take the 14-day time period seriously. symptoms are like the flu, cough and fever, one key coronavirus symptom to watch for is shortness of breath >> dr. john, thanks. up next, the showdown in michigan could it be a make or break primary for sanders?

we're back now with the race for 2020 joe biden and bernie sanders are in a heated battle right now for michigan, a state that could be make or break. gabe gutierrez sat down with the former vice president ahead of the big day. >> reporter: tonight the battle for the democratic nomination is cutting a path through the midwest. >> i don't think they're looking for a revolution i think they are looking for results. >> reporter: joe biden is riding a wave of momentum and intensifying his attacks on president trump's handling of the coronavirus. >> the president has just diminished any confidence anyone would have in a presidency he shouldn't say another word. >> reporter: two new polls have the former vice president now up double digits here in michigan which bernie

sanders won in 2016. today cory booker endorsed biden, adding to support from other formal rivals including kamala harris but senator sanders is fighting back, focussing on the midwest after cancelling a weekend event in mississippi. >> joe voted for disastrous trade agreements which have been horrific for the midwest. i helped lead the effort against those terrible trades. >> reporter: both campaigns are still planning large events despite growing concerns of the coronavirus. should candidates be holding large political rallies going forward? >> well, i'm looking to the cdc for advice and if they conclude there shouldn't be big indoor rallies, we'll stop. big indoor rallies >> reporter: biden will be sharing the stage at a rally in detroit with both senators harris and booker tonight, hoping for a crucial win tomorrow lester >> thank you. when we come back, a surprise victory an incredible sportsmanship after a tragedy. d incredible

sportsmanship after a tragedy. and incredible sportsmanship after a tragedy.

i'm tracking weather changes for this week, when we could see a little more rain. that's next. today meghan markle and prince harry said good-bye to royal life as they took part of their final official engagement as the duke and duchess of sussex. they attended a common health day service at westminster abby with the queen and members of the royal family. now they'll start a new life in canada. finally tonight, not even a tornado could stop the lady bees of tennessee. sam brock with an amazing comeback that's inspiring america.

>> reporter: in this tennessee town, sports are part of the local scoop school soul, and fo two best buds. how much time do you spend together >> every day every day after practice. >> reporter: basketball became a sanctuary after ashlyn mclellan and tory brooks rode out the tornad together in a closet the two starters for the lady bees are part of a squad bouncing back from tragedy. >> bees strong >> reporter: and taking the community along for the ride facing an elimination game on the road for a shot at the state championship, the lady bees prevailed in double overtime by two points as the opposing team's gym spilled out onto the court. >> really the whole basketball community is like a big family. >> reporter: before the game their competitors collecting donations. >> it means a lot. it really helps. >> reporter: proving this game had only winners before it

a even -- it even began. sam brock, nbc news, baxter. >> what a terrific moment. that's "nightly news." i'm lester holt. thank you for watching, everyone have a good night. it's been a little frustrating just waiting out there. >> right now at 6:00, freedom from that boat. the agonizing journey for more than 3,000 people aboard the cruise ship with coronavirus patients on board. the news at 6:00 starts right now. thanks for being with us on this monday. right now the first wave of paepgs have been getting off the grand princess cruise ship.

>> our sky ranger is over the port of on the grouakland. these are live pictures now. you can see down below all those trucks and people and medical personnel waiting, many many people lined up to get processed inside of those tents. we've been watching this unfold now for several hours as we mentioned. obviously it's going to be very sensitive because of the health concern, governor newsom ordering the people who need medical attention would be the first to get off this ship. with more than 3,000 people on the ship including 1,100 crew members, this may take up to three days all the people listen quarantined in various locations. >> this comes as the bay area reports its first death from the coronavirus. a woman in her 60s died this morning at el camino hospital in mountain view. health officials will hold a news conference at the end of this hour.